What a bad idea I had to read the newspaper on my flight to Lima. It's all about armed assaults, assassinations, kidnapping, robberies...and also everyone had told me to be very careful in Lima, and not to trust anyone. Once more, I arrive in a big city with fear.

I had heard a lot of stories about taxi drivers kidnapping and robbing people. Since you arrive in the airport you get a massive wave of taxi drivers dragging you to their taxis. Inside the airport they are official taxis and charge s/. 45 (13€) to the center. Outside the airport you can get a ride up to s/. 15 (5€). I opted to take the local bus for s/.2,5 (0,75€), and I didn't risk to be kidnapped.

From the begging everyone has been excessively kind to me, has asked if I needed help, and has given me indications when I needed them

The first thing I liked from Lima was to get out from the plane and feel the fresh air on my face. The last 1.5 months I had been in hot and humid cities, and wore shorts 99% of the time. Now it's lovely fresh but sunny!

Lima Is a very big city, divided in many districts, being Miraflores and Cento the most importants. The city has given me a great surprise. Everything is very clean and organized, it's totally tourist oriented.You find lots of people cleaning arround, selling maps, organizing...and all of them wear a vest with the logo of Lima. And I mean ALL of them! Sellers on kiosks, currency changers on the street, cleaning staff, gardeners...I don't know if it's just coincidence, but there are many events going on arround the city these days!

Buses are particularly funny. There is the driver, and the man that keeps shouting the names of all places on the buses route and pushes people in and out. It's like a contest to see which bus arrives the first

! The other day I tried to ask for the second time if the bus was going where I wanted to go, and he got angry and said: We have to be efficient!

Apart from all this nice aspects, I have to say there is still a lot of poverty in Lima. Every time I've riden a bus, someone has came in asking for money, weather selling something small, or just making people feel guilty...And many of them argue that it is better to beg than robbing like other people does.Sismos-------------------------------------------------- ESPAÑOL